Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research raised shares of Vermilion Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Vermilion Energy from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.00.

Vermilion Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VET opened at $11.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.73 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $9.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.65. Vermilion Energy has a twelve month low of $5.14 and a twelve month high of $12.00.

Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $334.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $384.74 million. Vermilion Energy had a positive return on equity of 3.80% and a negative net margin of 34.30%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vermilion Energy will post 0.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.135 dividend. This represents a $0.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Vermilion Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently -12.09%.

Institutional Trading of Vermilion Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VET. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in Vermilion Energy by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,846 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 1,289 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in Vermilion Energy by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 26,209 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 1,430 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Vermilion Energy by 18.9% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,249 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vermilion Energy by 14.8% during the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 12,989 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 1,671 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Vermilion Energy by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 31,730 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $265,000 after purchasing an additional 1,720 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.91% of the company’s stock.

About Vermilion Energy

Vermilion Energy Inc is a Canadian-based international oil and gas producer headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. Established in 1994, the company focuses on the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas reserves through its wholly owned and joint venture assets. Vermilion’s upstream operations target a balance of oil and gas projects across various regions, with an emphasis on high-quality resource plays that can deliver stable cash flow and long-term reserves replacement.

Vermilion’s product portfolio includes light and medium crude oil, heavy oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs).